When I was a child I used to save up all my money and collect militaria, especially helmets. I have all sorts. One weird thing I did find when clearing my loft was a WW2 baby's gas mask.....are these common or even worth much?

The gas crib things are quite common. From what I've seen at auction, German helmets don't fetch a fortune either. The WW1 models are worth more, especially if you have the heavy armour plate piece that goes on the front though.

Do you know what FJ lids, SS, camo etc. fetch these days? ok, your bog standard single decal job is 'only' going to cost you a few hundred quid. But the sought after stuff, like para lids are thousands of pounds now.

Do you know what FJ lids, SS, camo etc. fetch these days? ok, your bog standard single decal job is 'only' going to cost you a few hundred quid. But the sought after stuff, like para lids are thousands of pounds now.

The SS double decal M36 types (if you can find an original these days) will set you back about Â£1000, with the pukka FJR ones being about the same price. Check out TheOldBrigade.co.uk or Ulric of England for comparitive prices.
As for ressies, the baby's anti-gas type with pump usually fetch around the Â£50 mark if in good nick on evilBay, & about a year ago I got a 1942 dated mil resi with pipe, canister & haversack in mint condition for Â£55 (still had the original stores label attached).

You're a bit out on the prices there. A genuine M36 SS double decal helmet is more like Â£4,000 upwards, depending on condition. An extremely rare black ceremonial guard version cost a friend of mine â¬14k a couple of years ago. As for an original prewar double decal Luftwaffe-issue M38 FJ helmet, with the apple-green finish, the asking price for a near-mint one here in Paris is more than â¬30k.

Mind you, most of the high end helmets you see in the hands of dealers are fakes of one kind or another. The good news for budding collectors out there is that you can still get a decent single decal M38 FJ helmet for around â¬6k. You might find a reasonable single decal W-SS "M36/M40" reissue for â¬4.5k. As the Euro is almost at parity with the Pound, go figure.

If only I'd saved more pocket money as a kid and bought those german helmets down the militaria shop.

Must admit that Regimentals (in the link) is one of the more expensive dealers. Â£850 for a 1918 ground sheet seems quite a lot. As with anything it's worth what people will pay. I think there's another dealer selling a WW1 groundsheet for about Â£200.

Remember remember it's nearly time for Militaria 2009 at Stoneleigh. Come see me on the WW1 field dressing station display diorama.